4 years in prison for gas station robbery

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man who used a gun to rob a gas station that his wife works at in Moses Lake will be spending a little over four years in prison.

Sean McFarlen, 44, of Moses Lake, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 50.75 months, a little over four years, in prison. McFarlen was initially facing charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping, but the charges were dismissed in a plea agreement.

The sentence relates to a Feb. 21 incident when Moses Lake police responded to a 911 hang-up call at the Valley Quick Stop gas station on West Valley Road. The business owner told officers her husband, McFarlen, came into the store, demanded money and got physical with her, according to court documents.

She said McFarlen attempted to lock her in a back room at the gas station. He wasn’t able to get the woman into the room and proceeded to smash her cellphone and take the business’ phone. The victim gave McFarlen money and the suspect stole several cartons of cigarettes and fled the business. While they were at the scene, police located a live 40-caliber bullet on the business’ floor.

Officers tracked McFarlen to a Grandview residence, where a Grandview officer spotted money, shell casings, a pistol holder, a wallet and a cellphone inside of his vehicle. McFarlen was found inside of the residence and taken into custody. After McFarlen was taken into custody MLPD officers went back to the gas station and found three spots inside of the business that appeared to have been hit with bullets.

“(The victim) said she initially did not disclose Sean firing a pistol in the store during the incident because she loved him and did not want to be the reason he went back to prison. (The victim) told me Sean fired three rounds from a black Glock pistol inside the business while he was demanding money from her,” wrote an MLPD officer.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.